A ballot box used to collect early votes ahead of the November 5 US election was engulfed in flames in an alleged arson attack that the FBI is already investigating, local police said, bTV reported.
Football from local news service KATU shows smoke billowing from a ballot box in Vancouver, Washington, and numerous ballots that appear to be on fire.
The box was not emptied on Sunday morning and hundreds of ballots were destroyed, Reuters reports.
The Vancouver Police Department said they responded to a report of arson and removed a “suspicious device” located next to the ballot box.
The Washington Secretary of State's office urged voters to check the status of their ballots online and request a replacement if theirs is not found.
„I strongly condemn any act of terrorism that seeks to disrupt a legitimate and fair election in the state of Washington,” Secretary of State Steve Hobbs said in a statement.
„Despite this incident, I have complete confidence in the ability of our county election officials to keep elections in Washington safe and secure for all voters,” he added.
The box was located in the state's Third District, home to one of the most competitive races in the U.S. House of Representatives, between Democrat Rep. Marie Glusenkamp Perez and Republican challenger Joe Kent.
The incident is the latest in a series of attacks on ballot boxes.
On Monday morning, police in Portland, Oregon, responded to a similar fire caused by an incendiary device inside a ballot box.
Only three ballots were damaged in this fire and those voters will be contacted to complete replacement ballots.
A Phoenix man was arrested after a mailbox was set on fire Thursday. According to local media reports, around 20 ballots were destroyed.